1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-cell trays for packaging, transporting and displaying groups of horticultural products such as flowers, herbs and other plants, and more particularly to a handle system for such horticultural trays which utilizes separate connectors to facilitate mounting of the handle to the tray in a highly secure manner.
2. Description of Prior Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Multi-cell plastic trays for use in packaging, transporting and displaying groups of plants, such a flowers and herbs, are well known in the art. Because it is desirable that the trays be able to be held and carried easily, and in particular that the trays be able to be picked up and moved by a person using only one hand, a variety of different flexible plastic handles have been developed for use with the trays.
The handles consist of an elongated body made of flexible plastic and are commonly formed by die stamping the desired shape from a sheet of thin plastic. The handles are provided with portions at each end which have outwardly extending protrusions on each side. In order to mount the handles to the tray, the end portions of the handle are inserted into and directly engage spaced openings formed in the tray for that purpose.
Although such conventional handles are inexpensive to produce, they suffer from a variety of drawbacks. They are easy to mount to the tray by flexing the end portions and inserting them into the tray openings but the handles do not remain securely engaged in the tray openings. That is because, if the handle end portions are made to be very flexible for easy insertion into the tray openings, they tend to accidently dislodge from the tray openings when the tray is picked up by the handle, particularly when the tray is heavily weighted with soil and plants. On the other hand, if the end portions of the handle are made less flexible, so as to more securely engage the tray, it becomes more difficult and time consuming to properly insert the end portions into the tray openings in the proper position.
The conventional handles are particularly difficult to mount to the tray at certain times during the growing cycle of the plants. Due to high transportation costs, empty trays are transported in multi-unit stacks from the manufacturer to the location where the plants seedlings are inserted into the soil in the tray cells to grow. In order not to interfere with the tray stacking operation, the handles are sold separately from the trays.
After the trays are separated from the stack, soil is placed in the cells and the seedlings are planted in the soil in the cells. The handles may be attached to the trays by the growers, after the plants mature, before the plant containing trays are shipped to the retailers for sale. If the handles are not supplied by the growers, the retailers themselves may attach the handles to the trays at their locations, prior to the sale of the trays.
Because the openings in the tray into which the handle end portions are received are located in the plane of the top surface of the tray, once the plants grow above that plane, the openings may become partially or completely obscured by the plants. It is then often difficult for the person mounting the handles to locate the openings in order to insert the end portions of the handles. The result is that the handle mounting process is more time consuming and the plants may be damaged during the handle mounting process.
In order to secure conventional handles to the trays, the handles must be formed with end portions with outwardly extending protrusions which are wider than the diameter of the tray openings, so they can engage the tray openings. As a result, the end portions must be flexed to fit into the tray openings. Once in the opening, the end portions return to a near planar condition, such that protrusions on the sides of the end portions engage opposite points on the edge of the tray opening to retain the end portions within the tray opening. Once the handle end portions are received within the tray openings, to properly seat the end portions, the operator often has to pull slightly on the handle in order to obtain the desired position. Otherwise, the handle may dislodge when the tray is picked up. Accordingly, the mounting procedure is labor intensive and requires substantial time to complete successfully.
Because of the construction of plant trays formed to receive conventional handles, the end portions of the handles can freely rotate within the openings in the tray. As a result, once mounted, the handle is not fixed in the upright position and the handle may move to a position in which it cannot be easily grabbed.
With conventional handles, it is virtually impossible to carry more than one tray in each hand and thus an individual can carry two trays at most. If one does try to carry more than one tray in a single hand, the trays must be held at an awkward angle and the end portions of the handle may dislodge because of the extra force applied to them. This becomes a particularly troublesome problem at retail when a consumer wishes to purchase more than two trays. Because the consumer can only carry two trays at a time, often the consumer will buy only two, limiting the number of trays that are sold.
For a handle to operate effectively, it is important that it stand upright after it is mounted on the tray so that it is easy to grab. However, that is often not the case with conventional handles because of the size and the position of the openings in the tray.
With conventional handles, there is no structure to keep the handle end portions centered within the tray openings. Movement of an end portion from a position at the center of a tray opening may result in accidental detachment of the handle from the tray. That is because, as one side of the end portion moves from the center toward one point on the edge of the opening, the opposite side of the end portion moves away from the other side of the edge. That allows the opposite side of the end portion to disengage from the edge and the end portion to pull out of the tray opening.
The above noted disadvantages of conventional plastic handles are overcome by the present invention which includes a two-part handle system for a multi-cell horticultural tray consisting of a flexible handle and a connector including a section with a hook-shaped member adapted to engage the end portion of the handle and a section with an anchor-shaped member adapted to be easily received in and engage an opening in the tray in a highly secure manner.
It is, therefore, a prime object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the handle is easily and securely mounted to the tray by means of a separate connector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the handle cannot easily be accidentally dislodged from the tray without damaging either the handle or the tray.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the end portion of the handle is mounted to the tray using a separate connector which has a section adapted to engage an end portion of the handle and a section adapted to be received within an opening in the tray.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the connector can be inserted into the tray opening either when the tray is empty or are filled with soil, but before the plants have germinated, and the handle is attached to the connector after the plants have grown.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the process of inserting the connectors into the tray openings can be automated.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which a flexible anchor-shaped member of the connector retains the connector securely within the tray opening.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the connectors cannot freely rotate within the tray openings.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the hook-shaped member of the connector prevents the handle end portion from disengaging from the connector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which it is easy for an individual to carry more than one tray at a time in one hand without fear that the handles will dislodge from the trays.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the connector causes the handle to stand upright after attachment to the tray in order to facilitate grabbing the handle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-part handle system for a horticultural tray in which the structure of the connector automatically acts to center the connector in the tray opening and retains the connector in the centered position to avoid accidental dislodgement.